I visited this natural area for the first time on a snowy, damp weekend (as we have had every weekend lately!) In spite of the weather, it was an interesting and beautiful area that I will return to explore further when the trails dry out. There are several steep sections in the 5 km loop so if you go when it is icy, you need to take special care.

Chickadees here are very friendly and come readily to eat from your hand. Most of them have colour-coded bands and are being studied for behaviour and movement. This is a birder’s paradise.

This map directs you to Hillside Lake Park on the Brant-Waterloo Road. Dickson Wilderness area is immediately west of the trailer park. A parking lot is on the north side of Brant-Waterloo Road.

Other trails are found nearby at Sudden Tract, Wrigley Lake and Pinehurst Lake.

I accessed the Walter Bean Trail near Kestrel Street in Kitchener last week and walked along the river to Kiwanis Park. This tower is on the opposite side of the river near Bloomingdale. I have looked on the satellite map and have searched the internet for information, but can find nothing to identify it.

Here is a map of the area. Does anyone know who built the tower and if it is accessible to the public?

This is where I took the photograph. You can see the tower in the distance across the river. Eagles are commonly seen along this stretch of the Grand River in the winter.

I walked along the Grand River in Homer Watson Park yesterday. It was very cold and bleak as I stepped over big chunks of river ice which were thrown up on the banks during the recent thaw. This is one of the few areas of the river that has open water within the city limits. The nearby water treatment plant discharges treated water here and it seldom freezes over in this area opposite the Pioneer Tower. I was looking for birds and saw the usual species in the trees and water. Then I noticed some unusual birds on the edge of the ice. Robins! A flock of about 30 birds was in the trees below the tower and they came to the edge of the river for a drink. The light was poor and the bottom picture was taken with digital zoom but there is no mistaking these birds.

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Welcome to our site

In 2010 we posted a daily photograph featuring a variety of natural landscapes, buildings, people and events in the Region of Waterloo or within an easy drive of its borders.
We will continue to post pictures regularly in 2011 but not necessarily on a daily basis.
Photographs are copyrighted and are posted in a small size. If you wish to use a picture, please ask for permission. Contact information is found on the "About" page.